Basement floor and garage floor are being poured today. Woohoo!!! Framing should start by the end of the week.
Will try to post pics this evening,
Rejoicing in forward progress after weeks of waiting!!!
Chris
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Closing Date!!!
Yes, 'tis true....after weeks of working out details and waiting, we will close on the loan for the new house on Friday afternoon!!! HALLELUJAH!!!
Our builder will be able to get back to work next week. The original estimate of a timeline for the new house was 4 - 6 months. We would LOVE to be in by Christmas, but we'll take whatever time schedule Jesus has in mind. :-)
Just a word of encouragement about dealing with local businesses...we ended up going with a private, locally owned, smalltown bank and it has definitely been the right decision! They have been so kind and have provided us with a loan that will allow us to have the new house paid off before Mark is ready to retire. Not only that, the loan officer is interrupting her vacation this week to come in and do the closing. How's that for service?!?!?
Ephesians 3:20 &21
By His grace,
Chris
Our builder will be able to get back to work next week. The original estimate of a timeline for the new house was 4 - 6 months. We would LOVE to be in by Christmas, but we'll take whatever time schedule Jesus has in mind. :-)
Just a word of encouragement about dealing with local businesses...we ended up going with a private, locally owned, smalltown bank and it has definitely been the right decision! They have been so kind and have provided us with a loan that will allow us to have the new house paid off before Mark is ready to retire. Not only that, the loan officer is interrupting her vacation this week to come in and do the closing. How's that for service?!?!?
Ephesians 3:20 &21
By His grace,
Chris
Monday, August 22, 2011
Thought for Your Tuesday
Read this on a friend's blog and thought it might encourage someone else like it did me!
"God can turn a MESS into a MESSage, a TEST into a TESTimony, a TRIAL into a TRIumph and a VICTIM into a VICTory."
By His grace,
Chris
"God can turn a MESS into a MESSage, a TEST into a TESTimony, a TRIAL into a TRIumph and a VICTIM into a VICTory."
By His grace,
Chris
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Georgia Tech pregame speech before Notre Dame game
I have no idea if this is going to post the way I want it to or not...first time for everything...like posting a video to our blog. But here goes!
Pastor Wendell shared this with us in our morning worship service. Mark & I immediately identified with it. He (Jesus) has called us to this ministry of parenting, Christian foster care and adoption. It is rewarding like nothing else ever could be, but it can also be more difficult and challenging than any other task He has ever asked us to do.
As long as He continues to call us and give us strength for the assignment, we will, in the words of this amazing speech, "fight until we can't fight no mo. Gonna lie down, bleed awhile, get up and FIGHT SOME MO" for every single child that He trusts to our care!!!!
As an old Baptist missionary in Haiti once said, "Refire, but NEVER retire because He says, 'Occupy 'til I come!' "
By His grace,
Chris
Pastor Wendell shared this with us in our morning worship service. Mark & I immediately identified with it. He (Jesus) has called us to this ministry of parenting, Christian foster care and adoption. It is rewarding like nothing else ever could be, but it can also be more difficult and challenging than any other task He has ever asked us to do.
As long as He continues to call us and give us strength for the assignment, we will, in the words of this amazing speech, "fight until we can't fight no mo. Gonna lie down, bleed awhile, get up and FIGHT SOME MO" for every single child that He trusts to our care!!!!
As an old Baptist missionary in Haiti once said, "Refire, but NEVER retire because He says, 'Occupy 'til I come!' "
By His grace,
Chris
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Surprise Gift from the Lord
Don't you just love those times when the Lord gives you a surprise love gift out of the blue??? Today was one of those days for me and I am so grateful.
As a foster mom, one of the things dearest to my heart is an opportunity to receive an update on one of the little people that has graced our lives over the years. Those opportunities are so valued because they are VERY rare.
Those of you who know us in real life know that we had the privilege of caring for a precious tiny angel named Baby "A" last summer. She was very dear to us and we all treasured her. After she had been with us from the age of 6 weeks until about 14 weeks, she was securely placed with her loving aunt and uncle. We have not seen her from that day'til this, except for a picture that her aunt e-mailed a couple of months ago.
Guess who was walking out of Children's Hospital today as I was walking in??? Baby "A" and her aunt!!! Only my loving Heavenly Father could have arranged that timing for me. :-)
We had a lovely visit and I came away so blessed by this totally unexpected gift.
His love for us knows no bounds. He delights to bring joy to our hearts. Oh, that we would have that same level of desire to bless His heart.
By His grace,
Chris
As a foster mom, one of the things dearest to my heart is an opportunity to receive an update on one of the little people that has graced our lives over the years. Those opportunities are so valued because they are VERY rare.
Those of you who know us in real life know that we had the privilege of caring for a precious tiny angel named Baby "A" last summer. She was very dear to us and we all treasured her. After she had been with us from the age of 6 weeks until about 14 weeks, she was securely placed with her loving aunt and uncle. We have not seen her from that day'til this, except for a picture that her aunt e-mailed a couple of months ago.
Guess who was walking out of Children's Hospital today as I was walking in??? Baby "A" and her aunt!!! Only my loving Heavenly Father could have arranged that timing for me. :-)
We had a lovely visit and I came away so blessed by this totally unexpected gift.
His love for us knows no bounds. He delights to bring joy to our hearts. Oh, that we would have that same level of desire to bless His heart.
By His grace,
Chris
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Panic Stricken!!!
Yes, that's what I was tonight as I was following 3 other vehicles to the Kidz Trek destination for the evening and looked up, from glancing to the side for only a second, to discover that the other vehicles were stopping to turn around after missing the intended driveway.
I was just about to hit the vehicle in front of me, but with slamming of brakes and squealing of tires (including black marks on the road), Jesus mercifully spared us from what could have been horrible.
After not having been in an accident for 10 years, this was VERY traumatic!
Pastor David shared with the kids about grace...receiving a wonderful gift that we don't deserve...before we took communion tonight. An acrostic for grace is God's Riches At Christ's Expense.
I'm so thankful for that undeserved grace tonight and am reminded of the words to that chorus:
"It covers me. It covers me. His grace falls down and covers me."
By His grace,
Chris
Yes, that's what I was tonight as I was following 3 other vehicles to the Kidz Trek destination for the evening and looked up, from glancing to the side for only a second, to discover that the other vehicles were stopping to turn around after missing the intended driveway.
I was just about to hit the vehicle in front of me, but with slamming of brakes and squealing of tires (including black marks on the road), Jesus mercifully spared us from what could have been horrible.
After not having been in an accident for 10 years, this was VERY traumatic!
Pastor David shared with the kids about grace...receiving a wonderful gift that we don't deserve...before we took communion tonight. An acrostic for grace is God's Riches At Christ's Expense.
I'm so thankful for that undeserved grace tonight and am reminded of the words to that chorus:
"It covers me. It covers me. His grace falls down and covers me."
By His grace,
Chris
Monday, August 15, 2011
Thought for the Week
From the book "Taking on Giants" by Joe Portale, a YWAM missionary : "I began to see a pattern in God's dealings with me. The brick walls He allowed in my life became the steps of a stairway that led me to the heart attitudes necessary for the ministry He was calling me to."
Have you run into any brick walls lately??? We surely have! May more Christlike heart attitudes be the result.
By His grace,
Chris
Have you run into any brick walls lately??? We surely have! May more Christlike heart attitudes be the result.
By His grace,
Chris
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)